Maternity-corset.



H. S. ANDERSON.

MATERNITY CORSET.

APPLIOATION mun AUG. 1a, 1908.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

n4: NORRIS pzrsn: 60.. wasmminm. u. c. r.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

I-IILMA SOPHIA ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MATERNITY-CORSET.

Application filed August 18, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HILMA SOPHIA ANDER- sON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefur Improvements in Maternity-Corsets, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an article for the use of women during the last of the period of pregnancy, the article taking the form of a corset or support for the abdomen, busts and back and by the use of which women during this period are able to secure a much needed support for these parts without discomfort or injurious lacing.

To these ends my invention consists in a maternity support comprising, in the preferred construction, back sections preferably stiffened and provided with a lacing cord, a flexible bust portion preferably supported by straps passing over the shoulders and fastening in the front so as to adapt it for a nursing corset and the body or abdominal portion attached to the back sections but separated from the bust portions, devoid of stiffening to any appreciable extent and provided with an extensible gusset section or flap with means for adjustably securing the sections of the abdominal portions together over the flap. The bust portions and abdominal portions are flexibly and adjustably connected together and the device may be supplied with usual accessories, such as stocking supporters and the like.

The accompanying drawing is a perspective view of my support in the preferred form of construction.

In the drawing A A represent the back sections, which are preferably stiffened alon their marginal edges by whalebone or the hke as indicated at a a and are provided with lacing apertures a for the lacing cord B. To the up er, outer corners of these back sections X A there are secured the flexible bust portions C C which may be provided with the stiffening c of whalebone,

exible wire or the like and the meeting edges of these bust portions may be provi ed with the fastenings D. The ortions C C may be supported from the shoufders by straps E E.

F F represent the abdominal members which are secured to the outer margins of the back sections A A and are preferably composed of some stout flexible material such as cotton cloth or any other suitable material.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Serial No. 149,149.

To avoid wrinkling immediately over the hips, there may be employed a single stiffening member fbut the major parts of the body of these abdominal members I" are preferably devoid of stiffening of any sort. To one of the members F is applied. (or it may be formed integral therewith) a flap or gusset piece G which will preferably be of such length that when first worn it will extend considerably beyond the margin of the opposite member F so that this abdominal portion may be extended as required. For the purpose of securing the members F F together with the necessary tightness over the body to prevent wrinkling and afford the proper support, I employ any suitable fastening such as the straps and buckles g h.

In order to avoid the use of any stiffening material in the abdominal supporting members and to prevent their wrinkling and at the same time to transfer a part of the weight of the abdomen to other parts of the body, I support these abdominal members from their upper margins by flexible connections, such as the straps I which may be made adjustable by means of the buckles i, from the shoulders preferably through the bust portions C, the connections I extending between the upper margin of the portion F and the lower margin of the portion C preferably in line with the shoulder straps E so that a part of the weight of the abdomen is transferred to the shoulders through these flexible connections.

The abdominal portions are of course suitably shaped or conformed to the general outline of the abdomen at these periods and while of course unless specially fitted it may not perfectly adapt itself to all contours, yet the general shape indicated in the drawings will be found to accommodate itself to the majority of users and the flexible connections will prevent the abdominal portions from slipping down while the shaping prevents the upward movement.

The various advantages of my invention will be manifest, those suggested having been derived from practical experience in a large number of instances. The avoidance of boning or stiffening in the abdominal portions will be readily understood as all semblance to lacing is avoided and there is no pressure whatever around the waist line which would tend not only to crowd down the viscera but also to displace the abdomen with the harmful results flowing therefrom.

I preferably make the back sections quite stiff as the main support proceeds from such i members, aided of course by the shoulder straps and the shaping of the article itself.

It will be observed that the bust portions and the abdominal portions are distinctly separated from each other and lie on opposite sides of the waist line and at some distance therefrom.

Without limiting my invention to precise details of construction, I claim:

A maternity corset or support having in combination stiffened back sections, bust portions connected with the upper ends of the back sections, shoulder straps connecting the upper margins of the bust portions with the back sections, abdominal members connected to the lower ends of the back sections and adapted to over-lap at the front and provided with fastening means said abdominal portions being substantially devoid of stiffening and shaped to conform to and support the abdomen and flexible connections between the abdominal members and the bust members arranged substantially in line with the shoulder straps whereby the weight of the abdomen is supported from the shoulders substantially as described.

HILMA SOPHIA ANDERSON. Witnesses:

C. O. LINTHIOUM, ALLEN W. MooRE. 

